Within hours of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Prairie Island nuclear power plant, along with the nation's 102 other nuclear facilities, went to the highest state of alert. Public access was suspended and, at the recommendation of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the federal agency charged with overseeing the industry, employees were subjected to security screening. With the possible exception of bank vaults, America's nuclear power plants quickly became the most inaccessible properties on Earth. In Washington D.C., meanwhile, NRC officials wasted no time in assuring the public of the safety of nuclear facilities from terrorist attack, including the sort of kamikaze bombings that destroyed the... More >>>